Introduction
EXCERPT FROM AN ACCOUNT
“We start to hear the radio saying that Rwanda has been attacked by the rebel[s]. So, immediately, what I remember, they start to have a newspaper spreading the word for hateful message[s]. Incitement, hatred for, against Tutsi. Then we are starting to be worried, [because] the propaganda is telling the people that those [who] are coming from north of the border, they are Tutsi, they are coming to kill Hutu. So they spread the word, the message. We start to be scared, wherever you’re walking on the streets, you start to see your neighbour[s]. They look at you like you’re dangerous. Those you grown up together, those who [are] your friends . . . they come to your house, they start to call you the name . . . ‘Inyenzi,’ which is cockroach. So, and they started [the] radio to motivate Hutu to tell them, you have to be careful of your neighbour. From that time, I do believe I lost weight within a week. So I started to feel like, you know, I[’d] better try to escape. So, what I remember during those times is about fear.”
Timeline
Highlights
- After the independence, the Hutu reacted with acts of racism and murder to the privileges granted to the Tutsi elite during colonization.
- Between April and July 1994, 1,074,017 Tutsi were killed.
- Rwanda, eastern Central Africa
- On April 6, 1994, the Rwandan president was assassinated.
- Between April and July 1994, the Tutsi in Rwanda were victims of a genocide.
- The Hutu authorities (Hutu Power) and the radicalized Hutu population were the perpetrators.
- The Tutsi, members of another Rwandan ethnic group, and some moderate Hutu were the victims.
The full Story
We have developed a comprehensive document that outlines and summarizes the entire narrative. Please download, print, and utilize it for your teaching and study purposes.
Pictures
![After the events of 1994, many women gave birth to children conceived by rape. Foundation Rwanda introduced programs to support these families, who are dealing with severe trauma. “The children born of rape in conflict areas [live with] complex and deep trauma . . . for generations. The . . . testimonies embody stories of hope, forgiveness, fragility, and a strong undertone of the lingering struggles associated with severe trauma and effects of genocide. All testimonies, given in 2019, were translated from Kinyarwanda to English by Samuel Munderere and have been edited for brevity and clarity.” (Foundation Rwanda) Crédit : Jonathan Torgovnik](https://www.education-genocide.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/01_04_H_Genocide-des-Tutsi-au-Rhwanda_ENG_2024_2l.jpg){kind=link}
Testimonials
“We start to hear the radio saying that Rwanda has been attacked by the rebel[s]. So, immediately, what I remember, they start to have a newspaper spreading the word for hateful message[s]. Incitement, hatred for, against Tutsi. Then we are starting to be worried, [because] the propaganda is telling the people that those [who] are coming from north of the border, they are Tutsi, they are coming to kill Hutu. So they spread the word, the message. We start to be scared, wherever you’re walking on the streets, you start to see your neighbour[s]. They look at you like you’re dangerous. Those you grown up together, those who [are] your friends . . . they come to your house, they start to call you the name . . . ‘Inyenzi,’ which is cockroach. So, and they started [the] radio to motivate Hutu to tell them, you have to be careful of your neighbour. From that time, I do believe I lost weight within a week. So I started to feel like, you know, I[’d] better try to escape. So, what I remember during those times is about fear.”